Navantia lays keel for second F-110 frigate, cuts steel for third

The keel for second-in-class Roger de Lauria (F-112) is moved from the workshop and placed on slipway 2 at Navantia's Ferrol shipyard on 25 April. (Navantia)

The Spanish Navy's Bonifaz (F-110)-class frigate programme continues to track ahead of schedule, with two new milestones announced by Navantia on 28 April.

In a double ceremony held at Navantia's Ferrol shipyard in northwestern Spain on 25 April, the first steel was cut for third-in-class Menéndez de Avilés (F-113) and the keel was laid for second ship Roger de Lauria (F-112).

Navantia said the milestones served to demonstrate the good progress being made on the five-ship F-110 programme, which continues to track months ahead of the schedule agreed with the Spanish Ministry of Defence (MoD). First steel for Menéndez de Avilés was cut three months ahead of the scheduled timeline, while Roger de Lauria was laid down seven months ahead of plan, Navantia said.

Menéndez de Avilés started manufacturing activities in a new robotic welding cell, which was developed by Navantia's Innovation and Robotics Centre under a research and development (R&D) project aimed at digital transformation and process automation. The robotic welding cell is intended to speed up manufacturing times and improve welding quality by automating the construction of certain components using techniques such as artificial vision and flexible programme.

Navantia said that work is also progressing on the construction of a new digital block factory where some of the blocks for Menéndez de Avilés